The recent freezing temperatures seemed a long way gone at Stuyvesant Square Park, where twenty employees from the Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (BNY Mellon) volunteered their time. After cleaning out a winter accumulation of salt, leaves and debris, 500 pansies were planted and fresh mulch was added to some horticulture beds.

Seven employees from Legg Mason also took time out of their work day to volunteer alongside members of the Christopher Park Partnership. Although a small group, CPP and Legg Mason volunteers worked nonstop to beautify the historic Christopher Park by removing invasive plants, trimming overgrowth, and adding a total of 62 new plants to the gardens.

The New York City office of the United Nations Foundation and some staff from their Washington D.C. headquarters volunteered at Inwood Hill Park. Seventeen staff, including President Kathy Calvin, spent the morning raking leaves and debris off of the lawns along the northern tip of the park. In just three hours, volunteers removed about 150 bags of leaves from lawns and paths. The material was then moved to a large compost heap in the park, and will be used to fertilize gardening beds in the future.

Fifteen employees from Voya Financial also celebrated Earth Day at Dr. Gertrude Kelly Playground. While some took to cleaning and painting the entrance fence, the other employee volunteers prepared the park for the growing season. After amending the soil with compost, 32 new plants and fresh mulch were added to the playground gardens.

Thank you to BNY Mellon, Legg Mason, the United Nations Foundation, and Voya Financial for your partnership this Earth Day!

Hannah Gall is the Corporate Program Manager at Partnerships for Parks